A roundup of news on sporting events, people and places in Southeast Michigan by columnist Jim Evans.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Introducing The Hand in the Ocean

I’m not exactly an objective reviewer.

But this band that calls itself “The Hand in the Ocean” is pretty darned good.

They are categorized as a folk trio, but my reference to folk music dates back to Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger and they don’t sound anything like them.

Rather, it is sort of like Joe Cocker meets Country Joe and the Fish.

The Hand in the Ocean has its own unique sound and that is not easily accomplished in this homogenized world of ours.

Vocalist Nate Tapling is joined by Jeremy Dulac and Jordan Evans.

Did you catch the last name of the third band member? That is the reason I hardly qualify as remotely objective on the matter. Jordan is our youngest son. He is the last of four kids.

Then again, kid is probably not the proper term. I’m not sure when you shed that particularly youthful skin, but it is probably before you reach the age of 20.

Jordan is 20 and he left college in the rearview mirror to pursue his musical dreams.

My wife vehemently objected. She rightfully understands the value of an education. I do, too, but I’m a little more lenient. I am not just dad. I am also the same guy who left Albion College after my freshman year to hitchhike across the country to California. That blueprint, quickly scrawled in number two lead pencil, also included a trip to Hawaii where I was going to work in a Dole pineapple plant.

All right, so not everything worked out exactly as planned. My buddy, Art, and I had all of our stuff stolen in California. We never got to Hawaii and never punched in with Dole.

But I know something about dreams and sided with Jordan. At least temporarily. He can pursue music full-time for one year. After that, while he can still do the music thing, he also has to do the educational thing. I don’t care if he goes for a degree in physics or a vocation in welding; he has to have a fallback plan.

Making it in music is like making it in the major leagues or the NBA. The odds are fairly astronomical.

Jordan’s got his year. Dad has his hitchhiking stories and his college degree. Everybody has their dreams. It’s better to give them a shot when you’re young.